So, Swedenborg saw spiritually two swans flying towards the north. We learn from the angel that was with Swedenborg that the swans signify the 'conjugial' love of the natural or lowest region of the human mind. Doesn't a thought tell us something? It's like being instructed. Of course, we can try to learn its meaning or we can let it 'fly away' and leave our mind to become more and more obscure. So, now, you can understand what the two swans flying north signifies - instruction and a foretelling us of something. But, why fly north? Well, our natural thoughts have been separated from the Lord because we have inherited a natural behavior that is directed towards one's self and not to the Lord. As such, they do not have much truth in them and often what appears to be the truth to us, when it is investigated, turns out just the opposite and is not true. So being natural, we are in ignorance of genuine truth.
In this sense, we might live a 'good' life, but we are in obscurity as to the truth. The further they fly north or the further into obscurity we come. Truth becomes to us darker and more obscure. Yet, into our sight, as it were, there comes other thoughts - thoughts of 'conjugial love' or of good and truth, which are spiritual thoughts and are not just natural thoughts. These are signified by the two birds of paradise that were seen 'flying' towards the south. Here, the thoughts become clear, just the opposite from the obscurity of our natural thoughts; they teach or instruct us about the life of truth and, so, we become intelligent because of the goods of truth we learn from them, if appropriated by us.
Again, the Lord's thoughts come into view and these thoughts are of spiritual good - thoughts that teach us a life of faith. Here, we are speaking of interior and exterior thoughts within our natural mind or within our external mind. Now, turtledoves flying east signify these thoughts. And, east, in the Word, always signifies the Lord and where the Lord is is love, for He is love and together with love there is wisdom, and therefore, we can become instructed in the good of faith. Thus, what we see, first in this experience of Swedenborg, are thoughts of truth and affections of good, and of the different states of a man - natural, spiritual, and celestial.
When one follows instruction don't they, as it were, move to a higher state of understanding? So, by turning one's attention higher or inward, as it were, we can begin to understand spiritually and gain spiritual sight, that is, we understanding spiritually. In fact, these thoughts begin to influence or to bend our mind - our will and understanding, depending on the thoughts of course, either to the Lord or from the Lord. In other words, this is how we develop our faith, which may be either a spurious or false faith or a true faith - a faith in the Lord. In our story of Swedenborg's experience we see the joining together of natural, spiritual, and celestial thoughts. These are the swans, the birds of paradise, and the turtledoves that are seen flying. There is a joining of one with the others, all proceeding into one's mind and such a one is raised into a state where such thoughts that come towards the will and understanding and has not only natural understanding and will, but spiritual sight as well. All this will lead us to inquiry and into an investigation into the truth from a natural/ spiritual sense of the Word. For it can be seen that one, now, wants to know more than what is seen only from their natural or external understanding. They also want, if possible, to know what is the spiritual and celestial understanding.
When such knowledge is accepted or appropriated and becomes one's own, so to speak, the person's understanding and will - his mind - takes on a new and beautiful form. This is what the 'lofty palace' signifies. It is where the affection of truth is formed as the Lord's New Church within us in goods and truths, which come from God and become one's doctrine in life and, so, is his faith.
Such an understanding and a will, such a man's mind, are now predicated upon perceptions from God. That is, such a man has an internal faith grounded in love which manifests itself and thus, the man perceives that love, which is the Lord's, and sees what is spiritually good and true. These are the 'trees' around the palace - the perceptions - one for each degree of the human mind - celestial, spiritual, and natural. It is the olive tree that is the perception of celestial goods and truths. This of course is seen in the fact that the olive tree signifies the celestial Church as is seen by the correspondences revealed in the Word of the Divine Human, the Latin Word. The good and the truth understood by the oil of the olive was used to anoint the holy things of the Church. It is the palm trees that signify the spiritual good of the Church, and are known as the goods of truth, for those have affection for good. This is where the spiritual Church abides within a man. And, lastly, the beech trees are the perceptions of the human mind and are natural good. This is where the natural Church is in man.
So, the end result is that we have good that comes from a natural desire to follow and obey truth. We have good which comes from the love of good, which is a love of the Lord and it is our spiritual which comes from Divine wisdom from the Lord. And, thirdly, we have both good and truth conjoined, which is our celestial.
In the human mind there are degrees or regions, as it were, one above the other or within the other. Each, as it were, more internal - the natural and external thoughts or truths and their affections - and, within them are the interior or middle thought, which are spiritual goods and truths of the mind. Still, within these are celestial thoughts of love and wisdom and is where the Lord's abode is in man.
This can also be seen or understood in a different way. It is the lowest, the natural mind, which is the ground and support for the middle or the spiritual and it is the spiritual that supports the highest or the celestial. The three open windows seen in the palace confirm this. Now, it is the light from God that shines through the windows. Light, of course, is easily understood as the truth. By the birds that fly through the windows there is reveal to man the genuine truth and he receives intelligence, that is, a spiritual understanding, so that he can reason from the Lord's Love and Wisdom. In a word, the thoughts of truth and their affections or their goods gives man internal or spiritual sight.
Into the lowest window or into man's natural the truth and the good proceed, and there it is formed into the Church here on earth; it is to become the true Church in man. This is the Lord's Kingdom here on earth and this knowledge that a man has is used in order to open to him the Lord's spiritual Kingdom or His spiritual Church by which is meant 'Heaven'. It is the same with the inmost or highest degree or region of the human mind. Into each region there flows these thoughts and their affections, both those of truth and those of good. The man who has not his windows open or his mind to God's truth, but which are closed, does not receive a new rational and, therefore, cannot reason from truth, but instead he receives falsities which come from evil thoughts and instead of having a rational from which he reasons, he ratiocinates. Another way of saying that the True Church with man is that conjugial love dwells within the human mind of man.
In this sense, we might live a 'good' life, but we are in obscurity as to the truth. The further they fly north or the further into obscurity we come. Truth becomes to us darker and more obscure. Yet, into our sight, as it were, there comes other thoughts - thoughts of 'conjugial love' or of good and truth, which are spiritual thoughts and are not just natural thoughts. These are signified by the two birds of paradise that were seen 'flying' towards the south. Here, the thoughts become clear, just the opposite from the obscurity of our natural thoughts; they teach or instruct us about the life of truth and, so, we become intelligent because of the goods of truth we learn from them, if appropriated by us.
Again, the Lord's thoughts come into view and these thoughts are of spiritual good - thoughts that teach us a life of faith. Here, we are speaking of interior and exterior thoughts within our natural mind or within our external mind. Now, turtledoves flying east signify these thoughts. And, east, in the Word, always signifies the Lord and where the Lord is is love, for He is love and together with love there is wisdom, and therefore, we can become instructed in the good of faith. Thus, what we see, first in this experience of Swedenborg, are thoughts of truth and affections of good, and of the different states of a man - natural, spiritual, and celestial.
When one follows instruction don't they, as it were, move to a higher state of understanding? So, by turning one's attention higher or inward, as it were, we can begin to understand spiritually and gain spiritual sight, that is, we understanding spiritually. In fact, these thoughts begin to influence or to bend our mind - our will and understanding, depending on the thoughts of course, either to the Lord or from the Lord. In other words, this is how we develop our faith, which may be either a spurious or false faith or a true faith - a faith in the Lord. In our story of Swedenborg's experience we see the joining together of natural, spiritual, and celestial thoughts. These are the swans, the birds of paradise, and the turtledoves that are seen flying. There is a joining of one with the others, all proceeding into one's mind and such a one is raised into a state where such thoughts that come towards the will and understanding and has not only natural understanding and will, but spiritual sight as well. All this will lead us to inquiry and into an investigation into the truth from a natural/ spiritual sense of the Word. For it can be seen that one, now, wants to know more than what is seen only from their natural or external understanding. They also want, if possible, to know what is the spiritual and celestial understanding.
When such knowledge is accepted or appropriated and becomes one's own, so to speak, the person's understanding and will - his mind - takes on a new and beautiful form. This is what the 'lofty palace' signifies. It is where the affection of truth is formed as the Lord's New Church within us in goods and truths, which come from God and become one's doctrine in life and, so, is his faith.
Such an understanding and a will, such a man's mind, are now predicated upon perceptions from God. That is, such a man has an internal faith grounded in love which manifests itself and thus, the man perceives that love, which is the Lord's, and sees what is spiritually good and true. These are the 'trees' around the palace - the perceptions - one for each degree of the human mind - celestial, spiritual, and natural. It is the olive tree that is the perception of celestial goods and truths. This of course is seen in the fact that the olive tree signifies the celestial Church as is seen by the correspondences revealed in the Word of the Divine Human, the Latin Word. The good and the truth understood by the oil of the olive was used to anoint the holy things of the Church. It is the palm trees that signify the spiritual good of the Church, and are known as the goods of truth, for those have affection for good. This is where the spiritual Church abides within a man. And, lastly, the beech trees are the perceptions of the human mind and are natural good. This is where the natural Church is in man.
So, the end result is that we have good that comes from a natural desire to follow and obey truth. We have good which comes from the love of good, which is a love of the Lord and it is our spiritual which comes from Divine wisdom from the Lord. And, thirdly, we have both good and truth conjoined, which is our celestial.
In the human mind there are degrees or regions, as it were, one above the other or within the other. Each, as it were, more internal - the natural and external thoughts or truths and their affections - and, within them are the interior or middle thought, which are spiritual goods and truths of the mind. Still, within these are celestial thoughts of love and wisdom and is where the Lord's abode is in man.
This can also be seen or understood in a different way. It is the lowest, the natural mind, which is the ground and support for the middle or the spiritual and it is the spiritual that supports the highest or the celestial. The three open windows seen in the palace confirm this. Now, it is the light from God that shines through the windows. Light, of course, is easily understood as the truth. By the birds that fly through the windows there is reveal to man the genuine truth and he receives intelligence, that is, a spiritual understanding, so that he can reason from the Lord's Love and Wisdom. In a word, the thoughts of truth and their affections or their goods gives man internal or spiritual sight.
Into the lowest window or into man's natural the truth and the good proceed, and there it is formed into the Church here on earth; it is to become the true Church in man. This is the Lord's Kingdom here on earth and this knowledge that a man has is used in order to open to him the Lord's spiritual Kingdom or His spiritual Church by which is meant 'Heaven'. It is the same with the inmost or highest degree or region of the human mind. Into each region there flows these thoughts and their affections, both those of truth and those of good. The man who has not his windows open or his mind to God's truth, but which are closed, does not receive a new rational and, therefore, cannot reason from truth, but instead he receives falsities which come from evil thoughts and instead of having a rational from which he reasons, he ratiocinates. Another way of saying that the True Church with man is that conjugial love dwells within the human mind of man.